Substrate processing system

ABSTRACT

Provided is a substrate processing system for improving productivity of processes. In this regard, the substrate processing system includes: a first chamber providing a space where at least one substrate is accommodated; a second chamber configured to transfer at least one substrate to the first chamber; and a temperature control unit configured to change a temperature of a gas in the second chamber.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No.10-2018-0071696, filed on Jun. 21, 2018, in the Korean IntellectualProperty Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in itsentirety by reference.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

One or more embodiments relate to a substrate processing system, andmore particularly, to a substrate processing system providing improvedproductivity.

2. Description of the Related Art

During a high-temperature process, a substrate is loaded into a reactor,and then has a substrate temperature stabilization time (preheat time)for a certain period of time. During the substrate temperaturestabilization time, a substrate temperature reaches a processtemperature, and then stable substrate processing processes, such asdeposition, etching, and cleaning, are performed. Since a temperature ofthe substrate is an important process variable in the substrateprocessing processes, it is important to set a suitable substratetemperature stabilization time.

In detail, when the substrate processing processes are performed whilethe substrate temperature is not stabilized, the substrate processingprocesses are not smooth and a defect ratio of semiconductor devicesincreases. For example, when the deposition is not performed at asuitable temperature, it is difficult to deposit a thin film havingdesired film quality.

As such, a substrate temperature stabilization period is required forsmooth substrate processing, but on the other hand, productivity pertime may be decreased. Accordingly, it is important to secure a timeperiod for stabilization of the temperature of the substrate whilereducing an effect on the substrate processing so as to improveproductivity.

SUMMARY

One or more embodiments include a substrate processing system capable ofimproving productivity per time while securing stability of processes,by quickly securing a substrate temperature stabilization period forsmooth substrate processing.

Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description whichfollows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may belearned by practice of the presented embodiments.

According to one or more embodiments, a substrate processing systemincludes: a reaction chamber providing a space where at least onesubstrate is processed; a substrate transfer chamber configured tosupply at least one substrate to the reaction chamber; and at least oneheater configured to heat a gas supplied to the substrate transferchamber, wherein, when the reaction chamber and the substrate transferchamber communicate with each other, pressure of a gas of the substratetransfer chamber is equal to or higher than pressure of a gas of thereaction chamber.

The at least one heater may be arranged at the substrate transferchamber, and accordingly, a gas inside the substrate transfer chambermay be heated.

The substrate processing system may further include a protective coverconfigured to block heat radiated from the at least one heater. In thiscase, the protective cover may be arranged between the substratetransfer chamber and the reaction chamber.

The substrate processing system may further include a gas supply lineconnected to the substrate transfer chamber. The at least one heater maybe arranged at the gas supply line, and accordingly, a gas passingthrough the substrate supply line may be heated.

The at least one heater may include: a first heater arranged at the gassupply line; and a second heater arranged at the substrate transferchamber. The first heater and the second heater may be independentlyheated. A first heating temperature of the first heater may be equal toor higher than a second heating temperature of the second heater.

The substrate processing system may further include a substrate transferunit arranged at the substrate transfer chamber, wherein the substratetransfer unit may include a cooling member.

A temperature of the gas heated by the at least one heater may be equalto or higher than an internal temperature of the reaction chamber.

When a substrate is introduced from the substrate transfer chamber tothe reaction chamber, the temperature of the gas heated by the at leastone heater may be higher than the internal temperature of the reactionchamber.

The at least one heater may be further configured to heat the gas beforea substrate is introduced to the reaction chamber. The at least oneheater may be further configured to heat the gas before a substrate isdischarged from the reaction chamber.

At least some of the gas heated by the at least one heater may beintroduced from the substrate transfer chamber to the reaction chamber.

According to one or more embodiments, a substrate processing systemincludes: a first chamber providing a space where at least one substrateis accommodated; a second chamber configured to transfer at least onesubstrate to the first chamber; and a temperature control unitconfigured to change a temperature of a gas in the second chamber.

The gas having the temperature changed by the temperature control unitmay be introduced from the second chamber to the first chamber.

The substrate processing system may further include a third chamberproviding a space where at least one substrate is accommodated, whereinthe temperature control unit may be further configured to, when at leastone substrate is moved from the first chamber to the third chamber,change a temperature of a gas in the second chamber to correspond to atemperature condition of the third chamber.

According to one or more embodiments, a substrate processing systemincludes: a load lock chamber configured to accommodate at least onesubstrate; a reaction chamber providing a space where at least onesubstrate is processed; a substrate transfer chamber configured totransfer at least one substrate between the load lock chamber and thereaction chamber; a gas supplier configured to supply a gas to thesubstrate transfer chamber; a gas supply line connecting the gassupplier and the substrate transfer chamber; and at least one heaterarranged at at least one of the gas supplier, the substrate transferchamber, and the gas supply line, and configured to heat the gas,wherein, when the reaction chamber and the substrate transfer chambercommunicate, at least some of the gas heated by the at least one heateris introduced from the substrate transfer chamber to the reactionchamber, and the at least one heater is further configured to heat thegas before at least one substrate is introduced to the reaction chamberand before at least one substrate is discharged from the reactionchamber.

The substrate processing system may further include a protective coverarranged between the substrate transfer chamber and the load lockchamber and configured to block heat radiated from the at least oneheater.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and/or other aspects will become apparent and more readilyappreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a substrate processing system according toembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 shows a change in a temperature of a substrate support after asubstrate is loaded onto the substrate support;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are cross-sectional views of a substrate processing systemaccording to other embodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a substrate processing method according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, one or more embodiments of the present disclosure aredescribed with reference to accompanying drawings.

This disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms andshould not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments setforth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that thisdisclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey thescope of the disclosure to those of ordinary skill in the art.

The terms used in the present specification are merely used to describeparticular embodiments, and are not intended to limit the presentdisclosure. An expression used in the singular encompasses theexpression of the plural, unless it has a clearly different meaning inthe context. In the present specification, it is to be understood thatthe terms such as “including” or “having,” etc., are intended toindicate the existence of the features, numbers, steps, actions,components, parts, or combinations thereof disclosed in thespecification, and are not intended to preclude the possibility that oneor more other features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, orcombinations thereof may exist or may be added. As used herein, the term“and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of theassociated listed items. Expressions such as “at least one of,” whenpreceding a list of elements, modify the entire list of elements and donot modify the individual elements of the list.

It will be understood that, although the terms ‘first’, ‘second’, etc.,may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions,layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layersand/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms do notdenote a certain order, top and bottom, or superiority and inferiority,but are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layeror section from another region, layer or section. Thus, a first element,component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed asecond element, component, region, layer or section without departingfrom the teachings of the present disclosure.

In the present disclosure, a “gas” may include an evaporated solidand/or a liquid and may consist of a single gas or a mixture of gases.In the present disclosure, a process gas introduced to a reactionchamber through a gas supply unit may include a precursor gas and anadditive gas. The precursor gas and the additive gas may be typicallyintroduced into a reaction space as a mixed gas or separately. Theprecursor gas may be introduced together with a carrier gas, such as aninert gas. The additive gas may include a dilute gas, such as a reactantgas and an inert gas. The reactant gas and the dilute gas may beintroduced into a reaction space after being mixed or separately. Aprecursor may consist of at least two precursors, and the reactant gasmay consist of at least two reactant gases. The precursor is chemicallyadsorbed onto a substrate and is a gas containing a metalloid or a metalelement that typically has a main structure of a matrix of a dielectricfilm. The reactant gas for deposition is a gas reacting with theprecursor chemically adsorbed onto the substrate when the gas is excitedto anchor an atomic layer or monolayer on the substrate. “Chemisorption”denotes chemical saturation absorption. A gas other than the processgas, i.e., a gas introduced without passing through the gas supply unit,may be used to seal the reaction space, and such a gas may include aseal gas, such as an insert gas. According to some embodiments, a “film”denotes a layer continuously extending in a direction perpendicular to athickness direction without pin holes so as to cover an entire target ora related surface, or a layer simply covering a target or a relatedsurface. According to some embodiments, a “layer” denotes a structurehaving a certain thickness formed on a surface, a synonym of a film, ora non-film structure. A film or layer may include a discontinuous singlefilm or layer, or multiple films or layers having certain properties,may have clear or unclear boundaries between adjacent films or layers,and may be set based on physical, chemical, and/or other properties,formation processes or sequences, and/or functions or purposes ofadjacent films or layers.

In the present disclosure, the expression “same material” should beinterpreted that main components are the same. For example, when a firstlayer and a second layer are both a silicon nitride layer and are formedof a same material, a main component of the first layer may be selectedfrom the group consisting of Si₂N, SiN, Si₃N₄, and Si₂N₃, and a maincomponent of the second layer may also be selected from the group, but adetailed property may be different from that of the first layer.

In addition, in the present disclosure, any two variables may constitutean operable range of the variables based on the fact that the operablerange may be determined based on routine operations, and a certainindicated range may include or exclude end points. In addition, valuesof certain indicated variables (regardless of whether the values areindicated by “about”) may denote accurate values or approximate values,may include equivalents, and in some embodiments, may denote an averagevalue, a median value, a representative value, a multiple value, etc.

In the present disclosure where conditions and/or structures are notspecified, one of ordinary skill in the art may easily provide theconditions and/or structures in the viewpoint of the present disclosureas a matter of routine experiments. In all embodiments, any componentused in one embodiment includes those explicitly, necessarily, oressentially disclosed herein for intended purposes, and thus may bereplaced by any equivalent component. In addition, the presentdisclosure may be equally applied to apparatuses and methods.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are described with reference todrawings schematically illustrating the embodiments. As such, variationsfrom the shapes of the illustrations as a result, for example, ofmanufacturing techniques and/or tolerances, are to be expected. Thus,embodiments of the present disclosure should not be construed as limitedto the particular shapes of regions illustrated herein but are toinclude deviations in shapes that result, for example, frommanufacturing.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a substrate processing system according toembodiments of the present disclosure. The substrate processing systemmay include at least one substrate processing apparatus, and in oneexample, the substrate processing system may denote one substrateprocessing apparatus. An example of the substrate processing apparatusdescribed in the present specification may include a depositionapparatus of a semiconductor or display substrate, but is not limitedthereto. The substrate processing apparatus may be any apparatusrequired to perform deposition of a material for thin-film formation, ormay denote an apparatus to which a raw material for etching or polishingof a material is uniformly supplied.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the substrate processing system may include afirst chamber 110, a second chamber 120, a gas supplier 130, a gassupply line 140, a temperature control unit 150, and a protective cover160.

The first chamber 110 may provide a space where at least one substrate Sis accommodated. For example, the substrate S may be accommodated in thefirst chamber 110, and the substrate S accommodated in the first chamber110 may be reacted (for example, a chemical reaction for deposition).For example, the first chamber 110 may be a reaction chamber. AlthoughFIG. 1 illustrates that the first chamber 110 processes one substrate S,the first chamber 110 may be configured to process a plurality ofsubstrates S.

For example, when the first chamber 110 is a reaction chamber forperforming a deposition process, the first chamber 110 may include achamber wall where a gate G is arranged, a substrate support C, a heaterH, and a gas supply unit D. The substrate S may be led into the chamberwall through the gate G. The heater H may be provided adjacent to thesubstrate support C to adjust a temperature (for example, heat) of thesubstrate S and a reaction space. The gas supply unit D may beconfigured to supply a source gas and/or a reaction gas towards thesubstrate S located on the substrate support C.

The second chamber 120 may be configured to transfer the substrate S tothe first chamber 110. For example, the substrate S is located on asubstrate transfer unit included in the second chamber 120, and thesubstrate S may be transferred from the second chamber 120 to the firstchamber 110 by the substrate transfer unit. The substrate S is processedin the first chamber 110, and then may be transferred from the firstchamber 110 to the second chamber 120 by the substrate transfer unitagain. The gate G may be opened or closed for transfer of the substrateS, and at this time, heat energy of the first chamber 110 may betransmitted to the second chamber 120. Such heat transmission may causedecrease of temperature of the reaction space of the first chamber 110.In this regard, the substrate processing system may further include thegas supplier 130, the gas supply line 140, and the temperature controlunit 150 so as to prevent the temperature decrease and an additionalheating time to compensate for the temperature reduction.

The gas supplier 130 may be configured to supply a gas (for example,nitrogen) to the second chamber 120. The gas supplied by the gassupplier 130 may be transmitted to the second chamber 120 through thegas supply line 140, and accordingly, the second chamber 120 may befilled with the gas. Pressure of the gas filled in the second chamber120 as such may be equal to or higher than pressure of a gas of thefirst chamber 110.

For example, the pressure of the gas of the second chamber 120 may beequal to the pressure of the gas of the first chamber 110, andaccordingly, when the first chamber 110 and the second chamber 120communicate with each other (for example, when the gate G is opened),the gas in the first chamber 110 may be prevented from moving to thesecond chamber 120. As another example, the pressure of the gas of thesecond chamber 120 may be higher than the pressure of the gas of thefirst chamber 110, and accordingly, when the first and second chambers110 and 120 communicate with each other for a substrate exchange betweenchambers, the gas of the second chamber 120 may be partially introducedto the first chamber 110.

The temperature control unit 150 may be configured to change atemperature of the gas in the second chamber 120. For example, thetemperature control unit 150 may include a heater configured to increasea temperature of the gas in the second chamber 120. As another example,the temperature control unit 150 may include a cooler configured tolower the temperature of the gas in the second chamber 120.

The temperature control unit 150 may be provided at at least one of thegas supplier 130, the gas supply line 140, and the second chamber 120,and accordingly, the temperature of the gas supplied to the secondchamber 120 may be changed. Meanwhile, when the pressure of the gas ofthe second chamber 120 is higher than the pressure of the gas of thefirst chamber 110, and the first and second chamber 110 and 120communicate with each other, a part of the gas of the second chamber 120may be introduced to the first chamber 110.

According to another embodiment, the substrate processing system mayfurther include a third chamber providing a space where at least onesubstrate is accommodated. The third chamber may be a reaction chamberor a load lock chamber. According to some embodiments, the temperaturecontrol unit 150 may be configured to change the temperature of the gasin the second chamber 120 to correspond to a temperature condition ofthe third chamber when a substrate moves from the first chamber 110 tothe third chamber.

For example, when the third chamber requires a temperature condition ofa relatively high temperature (for example, 500° C. or higher), thetemperature control unit 150 may heat the gas in the third chamber tomatch the temperature condition. As another example, when the thirdchamber requires a temperature condition of a relatively low temperature(for example, room temperature), the temperature control unit 150 maycool the gas in the third chamber to match the temperature condition.

Protective covers 160 a and 160 b may block energy (for example, heatenergy) discharged from the temperature control unit 150. The protectivecover 160 may include a material having low heat conductivity. Accordingto another embodiment, the protective cover 160 a may be provided on thetemperature control unit 150 such that an operator is not affected bythe temperature control unit 150. According to another embodiment, theprotective cover 160 b may be provided between the first chamber 110 andthe second chamber 120 such that a temperature change in any one of thefirst and second chambers 110 and 120 does not affect the other.

FIG. 2 shows a change in a temperature of the substrate support C (i.e.,a temperature of the substrate support C by the heater H) after thesubstrate S is loaded onto the substrate support C. Referring to FIG. 2, at least 140 seconds are consumed for the substrate support C to reacha set temperature of 450° C. and stably maintain the set temperature.However, due to productivity improvement issues or the like, a processis performed on the substrate S mostly after a preheat period of 60seconds.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 2 , there is a temperature deviation, andthus initial thin-film formation may not be smooth. In other words, whena gate between a first chamber (for example, a reaction chamber) and asecond chamber (for example, a substrate transfer chamber) is opened(i.e., when chambers communicate) for loading/unloading of a substrate,heat inside a heater block and a reactor (generally, a wall of thereactor is heated) shifts to the substrate transfer chamber, andaccordingly, a temperature of the heater block is not uniform and stableafter the substrate is loaded.

According to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, a gashaving a temperature suitably changed through a temperature control unitexists in a second chamber. Accordingly, heat loss of a first chamber,which may occur while a substrate is exchanged between the first andsecond chambers, may be prevented or reduced. Consequently, stability ofa process may be secured while a time required to preheat the substrateis reduced.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a substrate processing systemaccording to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The substrateprocessing system according to the current embodiment may be a modifiedexample of the substrate processing system according to the previousembodiment. Hereinafter, overlapping descriptions are omitted.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the substrate processing system may include loadlock chambers 6 and 7, a reaction chamber 3, a substrate transferchamber 2, a transport module 8, a gas supplier 4, a gas supply line 5,a substrate storage portion 10, and a heater 11.

The load lock chambers 6 and 7 may accommodate at least one substrate.The load lock chambers 6 and 7 temporarily store a substrate transferredfrom the substrate storage portion 10 to be moved to the reactionchamber 3 through the substrate transfer chamber 2 or vice versa. Avacuum pump (not shown) may be connected to the load lock chambers 6 and7, and the vacuum pump may be controlled to adjust pressure of the loadlock chambers 6 and 7 to be the same as that of the substrate transferchamber 2. The load lock chambers 6 and 7 may align the substrate beforethe substrate is transferred to the reaction chamber 3. Selectively oradditionally, the load lock chambers 6 and 7 may cool the substrate thathas been processed in the reaction chamber 3.

The reaction chamber 3 may accommodate at least one substrate, and aprocess may be performed on the substrate in the reaction chamber 3. Thereaction chamber 3 provides at least one reaction space, and FIG. 3illustrates the reaction chamber 3 providing four reaction spaces, as anexample. In other words, a plurality of (for example, four) substratesmay be loaded and simultaneously processed. For example, substrateprocessing may include at least one of depositing, etching, andcleaning.

Each reaction space in the reaction chamber 3 may include a heater block(for example, a substrate support where a heater is installed) where asubstrate is loaded and supplying heat to the substrate, and a gassupply unit supplying a process gas to the substrate. The gas supplyunit may be a showerhead, or may be a lateral gas flow apparatus. Also,a plasma unit activating a supplied gas may be added to perform a plasmaprocess. The reaction chamber 3 may be connected to an exhaust pump (notshown), and accordingly maintain a vacuum state. In addition, asdescribed above, the reaction chamber 3 may include a temperaturecontrol unit for controlling a temperature (for example, heating) of aninternal space.

The substrate transfer chamber 2 may be configured to transfer asubstrate between the load lock chambers 6 and 7 and the reactionchamber 3. In other words, the substrate transfer chamber 2 may load thesubstrate from the load lock chambers 6 and 7, or may collect thesubstrate from the reaction chamber 3 and unload the substrate to theload lock chambers 6 and 7. The substrate transfer chamber 2 may includea substrate transfer unit (not shown), such as a robot arm. Through thesubstrate transfer unit, the substrate may be transferred to thereaction chamber 3 from the load lock chambers 6 and 7 and the substratethat has been processed in the reaction chamber 3 may be transferred tothe load lock chambers 6 and 7.

A gate 9 may be provided between the substrate transfer chamber 2 andthe reaction chamber 3, and between the substrate transfer chamber 2 andthe load lock chambers 6 and 7. The gate 9 may be closed except when asubstrate is loaded or unloaded. Accordingly, the substrate transferchamber 2 and the reaction chamber 3, and the substrate transfer chamber2 and the load lock chambers 6 and 7 may be isolated from each otherexcept when the substrate is loaded or unloaded. The substrate transferchamber 2 may be connected to the exhaust pump such that a vacuum stateof the substrate transfer chamber 2 is maintained.

The transport module 8 is a device that transfers a substrate, such as asemiconductor wafer, from the substrate storage portion 10, such as afront opening unified pod (FOUP), to the load lock chambers 6 and 7, andmay be an equipment front end module (EFEM). The transport module 8 maybe located between the substrate storage portion 10 where at least onesubstrate is stored, and the load lock chambers 6 and 7. The transportmodule 8 may include the substrate transfer unit, and a substrate may beexchanged between the substrate storage portion 10 and the load lockchambers 6 and 7 through the substrate transfer unit.

The gas supplier 4 may be configured to supply a gas to the substratetransfer chamber 2. For example, the gas supplier 4 may supply a gas(for example, a nitrogen and/or inert gas) to the substrate transferchamber 2 through the gas supply line 5. In this regard, the gas supplyline 5 may connect the gas supplier 4 and the substrate transfer chamber2.

According to another embodiment, a flow controller (not shown) and avalve (not shown) may be installed in the gas supply line 5. The flowcontroller and the valve may uniformly maintain the amount of gassupplied (for example, a nitrogen gas) filled in the substrate transferchamber 2.

A gas (for example, a nitrogen gas) is filled inside the substratetransfer chamber 2. The filled gas may prevent a gas in the reactionchamber 3 from moving to the substrate transfer chamber 2 when the gate9 between the reaction chamber 3 and the substrate transfer chamber 2 isopened.

A source gas, a reaction gas, or an etching gas supplied over asubstrate remains in the reaction chamber 3, and thus when the substratemoves to the substrate transfer chamber 2, the above gas also moves tothe substrate transfer chamber 2, thereby corroding or damaging portionsof the substrate transfer chamber 2. Accordingly, a gas, such as anitrogen and/or inert gas, may be filled in the substrate transferchamber 2 to prevent corrosion or damage from the corrosive gas.

In addition, a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processingsystem including the substrate processing apparatus, according to one ormore embodiments of the present disclosure, may include the temperaturecontrol unit 150 for adjusting a temperature of the gas, in particular,the heater 11. The heater 11 may be provided at at least one of thesubstrate transfer chamber 2 and the gas supply line 5. Accordingly, atemperature of a gas may be increased by the heater 11 while the gasmoves from the gas supply line 5 to the substrate transfer chamber 2.

The heater 11 may heat a gas before a substrate is introduced to thereaction chamber 3 and before the substrate is discharged from thereaction chamber 3. Accordingly, when the reaction chamber 3 and thesubstrate transfer chamber 2 communicate, a change in a temperature ofthe reaction space in the reaction chamber 3 may be minimized even whenat least some of the gas heated by the heater 11 is introduced from thesubstrate transfer chamber 2 to the reaction chamber 3. Accordingly, theproblem of the loss of a substrate temperature stabilization time due toan exchange of a substrate, and the loss of productivity caused therebymay be solved.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a substrate processing systemaccording to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The substrateprocessing system according to the current embodiment may be a modifiedexample of the substrate processing system according to the previousembodiment. Hereinafter, overlapping descriptions are omitted.

Referring to FIG. 4 , the heater 11 is provided around the substratetransfer chamber 2 and the gas supply line 5. For example, the heater 11may be provided at the substrate transfer chamber 2, and accordingly, agas in the substrate transfer chamber 2 may be heated. According toanother embodiment, the heater 11 may be provided at the gas supply line5, and accordingly, a gas passing through the gas supply line 5 may beheated.

Accordingly, a gas (for example, a nitrogen gas) supplied from the gassupplier 4 supplying a gas may be heated to a certain temperature whilepassing through the heated gas supply line 5, and then may becontinuously heated by the heater 11 even while being filled in thesubstrate transfer chamber 2. In addition, a state in which thesubstrate transfer chamber 2 and a gas (for example, a nitrogen gas)filled therein are being heated may be maintained.

When the reaction chamber 3 and the substrate transfer chamber 2communicate with each other, pressure of a gas of the substrate transferchamber 2 may be equal to or higher than pressure of a gas of thereaction chamber 3. Accordingly, the gas (i.e., a remaining gas) of thereaction chamber 3 may not be introduced to the substrate transferchamber 2 even when the gate 9, i.e., a valve, between the reactionchamber 3 and the substrate transfer chamber 2 is opened for loading orunloading of a substrate, and loss of heat of the heater block of thereactor provided in the reaction chamber 3 to the substrate transferchamber 2 may be reduced.

According to another embodiment, at least some of a gas heated by theheater 11 may be introduced from the substrate transfer chamber 2 to thereaction chamber 3. Accordingly, heat energy of the heated gas may betransmitted from the substrate transfer chamber 2 to the reactionchamber 3. According to another embodiment, a temperature of the gasheated by the heater 11 may be equal to or higher than an internaltemperature of the reaction chamber 3. For example, heat energy may betransmitted by a temperature difference even when a gas is not exchangedbetween the reaction chamber 3 and the substrate transfer chamber 2.

According to an embodiment, when a substrate is introduced from thesubstrate transfer chamber 2 to the reaction chamber, 3, a temperatureof the gas heated by the heater 11 may be set to be higher than theinternal temperature of the reaction chamber 3. A temperature of thesubstrate before being processed is relatively low. Accordingly, thetemperature of the gas heated by the heater 11 may be set to be higherthan the internal temperature of the reaction chamber 3 such that apreheat time with respect to the substrate having the relatively lowtemperature is reduced, and heat energy (or the gas having heat energy)may be transmitted to the reaction chamber 3 from the substrate transferchamber 2.

According to another embodiment, when a substrate is transferred fromthe reaction chamber 3 to the substrate transfer chamber 2, thetemperature of the gas heated by the heater 11 may be set to be equal toor lower than the internal temperature of the reaction chamber 3. Duringthe movement of the substrate, a preheat time in the reaction chamber 3described above is not required, and the substrate may be moved to theload lock chambers 6 and 7 to be cooled. Accordingly, the temperature ofthe gas heated by the heater 11 may be set to be lower than the internaltemperature of the reaction chamber 3. However, according to anotherembodiment, the substrate transfer chamber 2 may move the substrate toanother reaction chamber (hereinafter, referred to as a second reactionchamber) 12 instead of the load lock chambers 6 and 7, and in this case,the temperature of the gas heated by the heater 11 may be set to beequal to or higher than an internal temperature of the second reactionchamber 12, i.e., a temperature of a reaction space during a reaction.

According to another embodiment, the heater 11 may be configured to heata gas before a substrate is introduced to the reaction chamber 3. Also,the heater 11 may be configured to heat the gas before the substrate isdischarged from the reaction chamber 3. As such, by suitably adjustingthe temperature of the gas in the substrate transfer chamber 2 beforethe gate G between the reaction chamber 3 and the substrate transferchamber 2 is opened, a process may be stably performed and productivitymay be increased.

In FIG. 4 , the gas supply line 5 and the substrate transfer chamber 2are heated by a single heater 11, but the gas supply line 5 and thesubstrate transfer chamber 2 may be independently heated. For example,the heater 11 may include a first heater provided at the gas supply line5 and a second heater provided at the substrate transfer chamber 2, andthe first and second heaters may be independently heated. According toanother embodiment, a first heating temperature of the first heater maybe equal to or higher than, or equal to or lower than a second heatingtemperature of the second heater. A gas may be quickly and efficientlyheated through such independent heating of heaters and a temperaturegradient configuration.

Also, in FIG. 4 , only a side surface of the substrate transfer chamber2 is heated, but top and bottom surfaces (not shown) of the substratetransfer chamber 2 may be heated by the heater 11. Also, according toanother embodiment, a protective cover having low thermal conductivitymay be provided on the heater 11 for safety of an operator. Theprotective cover may block heat generated by the heater 11 from beingexternally emitted.

The protective cover may be provided not only for the safety ofoperator, but also to prevent thermal conduction between chambers. Forexample, the protective cover having low thermal conductivity may beprovided between the reaction chamber 3 and the substrate transferchamber 2 and/or between the load lock chambers 6 and 7 and thesubstrate transfer chamber 2 so as to prevent thermal conduction betweenthe reaction chamber 3 and the substrate transfer chamber 2 and thermalconduction between the load lock chambers 6 and 7 and the substratetransfer chamber 2.

According to another embodiment, in order to reduce a thermal shock fromthe heated gas (for example, a nitrogen and/or inert gas) and/or athermal shock from the heated substrate transfer chamber 2, a coolant ora cooling member corresponding to the coolant may be supplied to thesubstrate transfer unit in the substrate transfer chamber 2. Examples ofthe cooling member for preventing the thermal shock may include aninsulation member passively preventing a temperature increase and acooling unit actively lowering a temperature, but are not limitedthereto.

According to an embodiment, by heating the substrate transfer chamber 2and a filling gas supplied thereto, heat loss from the reaction chamber3 to the substrate transfer chamber 2 may be reduced while loading orunloading a substrate, and a preheat time of the substrate may bereduced, and thus the number of processed substrate per hour mayincrease.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a substrate processing method according to anembodiment of the present disclosure. The substrate processing methodaccording to the current embodiment may be a modified example using thesubstrate processing system according to the previous embodiment.Hereinafter, overlapping descriptions are omitted.

Referring to FIG. 5 , in operation 510, a gas is supplied into a firstchamber (for example, a transfer chamber). In operation 520, atemperature of the gas in the first chamber is changed (for example,increased). The supplying of the gas and the changing of the temperatureof the gas may take place simultaneously. For example, a gas from a gassupplier may be supplied to the first chamber through a gas supply line,and a temperature of the gas may change while the gas is supplied to thefirst chamber, by a temperature control unit provided at the gas supplyline.

In operation 530, the substrate is transferred from the first chamber tothe second chamber (for example, a reaction chamber). The temperature ofthe substrate may change according to a change in the temperature of thegas supplied to the first chamber, and accordingly, the substrate havingthe changed temperature may be transferred to the second chamber.According to another embodiment, while the temperature of the gas in thefirst chamber changes, a temperature of a substrate transfer unit in thefirst chamber may also change. An additional temperature control unitmay be provided in the substrate transfer unit so as to prevent aneffect (for example, a thermal shock) of the temperature change on thesubstrate transfer unit.

After the substrate is transferred to the second chamber, the substrateis processed in the second chamber in operation 540. As described above,a preheat time of the substrate in the second chamber is an importantfactor determining productivity. According to one or more embodiments ofthe present disclosure, heat loss that may occur while a substrate isloaded may be reduced, and thus a preheat time at an initial stage ofprocessing the substrate may be reduced.

Such a preheat for reducing the heat loss may take place before thesubstrate is introduced to the second chamber, and also before thesubstrate is discharged from the second chamber, moved back to the firstchamber, and then moved to the third chamber. For example, after thesubstrate is processed in the second chamber, a temperature of a gas inthe first chamber is set to change in operation 550. Here, a settemperature of the gas may be determined considering a reactiontemperature in the third chamber. For example, operations 540 and 550may be simultaneously performed. In other words, while the substrate isprocessed in the second chamber, the temperature of the gas in the firstchamber may change.

The substrate is transferred from the second chamber back to the firstchamber in operation 560, and then the substrate is transferred from thefirst chamber to the third chamber in operation 570. Accordingly, thesubstrate may be additionally processed in the third chamber. At thistime, since the temperature of the gas in the first chamber is heatedconsidering the reaction temperature of the third chamber, heat lossthat may occur while transferring the substrate from the first chamberto the third chamber may be reduced. Accordingly, a preheat time at aninitial stage for processing the substrate with respect to variouschambers (for example, a plurality of reaction chambers) may be reduced.For example, when a substrate is processed stepwise by being transferredto a plurality of reactors starting from a first chamber, a temperatureof a gas filled in the first chamber may be adjusted suitably to a nextreactor while the substrate is being processed in a previous reactor toreduce a preheat time in each reactor, thereby improving productivity.

It should be understood that embodiments described herein should beconsidered in a descriptive sense only and not for purposes oflimitation. Descriptions of features or aspects within each embodimentshould typically be considered as available for other similar featuresor aspects in other embodiments.

While one or more embodiments have been described with reference to thefigures, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the artthat various changes in form and details may be made therein withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by thefollowing claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A substrate processing system comprising: areaction chamber providing a space where at least one substrate isprocessed; a substrate transfer chamber configured to supply the atleast one substrate to the reaction chamber; a gas supply line connectedto the substrate transfer chamber; and at least one heater configured toheat a gas supplied to the substrate transfer chamber, wherein, when thereaction chamber and the substrate transfer chamber communicate witheach other, a pressure of the gas of the substrate transfer chamber isequal to or higher than a pressure of a gas of the reaction chamber,wherein the at least one heater comprises: a first heater arranged atthe gas supply line; and a second heater arranged at the substratetransfer chamber.
 2. The substrate processing system of claim 1, whereinthe at least one heater is arranged at the substrate transfer chamber,and accordingly, the gas inside the substrate transfer chamber isheated.
 3. The substrate processing system of claim 1, furthercomprising a protective cover configured to block heat radiated from theat least one heater.
 4. The substrate processing system of claim 3,wherein the protective cover is arranged between the substrate transferchamber and the reaction chamber.
 5. The substrate processing system ofclaim 1, wherein the at least one heater is arranged at the gas supplyline, and accordingly, the gas passing through the gas supply line isheated.
 6. The substrate processing system of claim 1, wherein the firstheater and the second heater are independently heated.
 7. The substrateprocessing system of claim 1, wherein a first heating temperature of thefirst heater is equal to or higher than a second heating temperature ofthe second heater.
 8. The substrate processing system of claim 1,further comprising a substrate transfer unit arranged at the substratetransfer chamber, wherein the substrate transfer unit comprises acooling member.
 9. The substrate processing system of claim 1, wherein atemperature of the gas heated by the at least one heater is equal to orhigher than an internal temperature of the reaction chamber.
 10. Thesubstrate processing system of claim 1, wherein, when a substrate isintroduced from the substrate transfer chamber to the reaction chamber,the temperature of the gas heated by the at least one heater is higherthan the internal temperature of the reaction chamber.
 11. The substrateprocessing system of claim 1, wherein the at least one heater is furtherconfigured to heat the gas before a substrate is discharged from thereaction chamber.
 12. The substrate processing system of claim 1,wherein the at least one heater is further configured to heat the gasbefore a substrate is introduced to the reaction chamber.
 13. Thesubstrate processing system of claim 1, wherein at least some of the gasheated by the at least one heater is introduced from the substratetransfer chamber to the reaction chamber.
 14. A substrate processingsystem comprising: a first chamber providing a space where at least onesubstrate is accommodated; a second chamber configured to transfer theat least one substrate to the first chamber; a gas supply line connectedto the second chamber; and a temperature control unit configured tochange a temperature of a gas in the second chamber, wherein thetemperature control unit comprises: a first heater arranged at the gassupply line; and a second heater arranged at the second chamber.
 15. Thesubstrate processing system of claim 14, wherein the gas having thetemperature changed by the temperature control unit is introduced fromthe second chamber to the first chamber.
 16. The substrate processingsystem of claim 14, further comprising a third chamber providing a spacewhere the at least one substrate is accommodated, wherein thetemperature control unit is further configured to, when the at least onesubstrate is moved from the first chamber to the third chamber, changethe temperature of the gas in the second chamber to correspond to atemperature condition of the third chamber.
 17. A substrate processingsystem comprising: a load lock chamber configured to accommodate atleast one substrate; a reaction chamber providing a space where the atleast one substrate is processed; a substrate transfer chamberconfigured to transfer the at least one substrate between the load lockchamber and the reaction chamber; a gas supplier configured to supply agas to the substrate transfer chamber; a gas supply line connecting thegas supplier and the substrate transfer chamber; and at least one heaterarranged at least one of the gas supplier, the substrate transferchamber, and the gas supply line, and configured to heat the gas,wherein, when the reaction chamber and the substrate transfer chambercommunicate, at least some of the gas heated by the at least one heateris introduced from the substrate transfer chamber to the reactionchamber, and the at least one heater is further configured to heat thegas before the at least one substrate is introduced to the reactionchamber and before the at least one substrate is discharged from thereaction chamber, wherein the at least one heater comprises: a firstheater arranged at the gas supply line; and a second heater arranged atthe substrate transfer chamber.
 18. The substrate processing system ofclaim 17, further comprising a protective cover arranged between thesubstrate transfer chamber and the load lock chamber and configured toblock heat radiated from the at least one heater.